


See You Around

by KatyasConsort



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: F/F, Lesbian AU, cis women au, they're in New York
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-27 06:34:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13242534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatyasConsort/pseuds/KatyasConsort
Summary: Trixie is a costume designer with a side hustle as a barista. Katya is an ex olympic figure skater who now teaches Russian and coaches small children on how to skate backwards. They meet at Shangela's compulsory, three days late Valentine's get together when Trixie gets mauled by a nine year old.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm excited for this.  
> Please comment if you like it, and if you don't!  
> I love feedback!  
> ♡

Trixie rolled over and let out a groan as light from the window assaulted her with its glare. She hated waking up so early, an ungodly hour that should’ve been spent sleeping and dreaming. Not getting ready for work, curling her hair, scrambling to somehow get breakfast and to be out the door at seven fifteen, on time to be at work by eight. 

She glared at the wall, her eyes narrow and bleary because every part of her body hated mornings. 

Trixie lingered in her blankets, soft duvet up to her bare shoulders, until she actually really did need to get up. But she always did little things to help herself the night before. Putting her outfit together, keeping fuzzy socks by the bed. Even spending far too much money on a nice little rug that she put beside her bed. It was white, and very pretty, and she liked it quite a bit.

She leaned over and grabbed the socks on her bedside table, sitting up and putting them on. She was cold.

Trixie stood up and stretched, breathing in deeply and glancing at the clock again. She was doing fine.

She got into the bathroom and washed her face, trying to make her skin feel less disgusting. Trixie brushed her teeth and brushed her hair, figuring she wouldn’t have to do much to maintain its waviness. She pulled out the curling iron and let it heat up while she did her makeup. A lengthy process which she enjoyed greatly.

Then her hair, which took only ten minutes. Then putting on the outfit she’d set out. Her pink a-line skirt and a white button-down that she tied just where the waist of the skirt stopped. She needed shoes.

Trixie glanced around her closet, eyes falling over the garments that she’d made for herself, a slight smile on her lips as she straightened the bottom of a peach dress with the embroidered hem she adored so dearly. But she grabbed her wedges with the ankle ties, leaning down and knotting each into a neat bow.

She put on a gaudy necklace that looked cheap, mostly because it was, and made a mental note to get her fringed jacket from the closet on the way out. Trixie managed to remember her phone on the way out of her room, headphones too, slipping them into her pockets and hurrying to the kitchen to eat a banana and whatever she could scrounge up. She needed to go to the grocery store.

Trixie shrugged on her jacket and grabbed her keys from the hook in the wall, putting them in her jacket pocket, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She shut the door behind her and locked it. 

It was only a couple minutes walk until she was at the subway station, leaning against the big pillar, both earbuds in as she scrolled through Instagram. 

Shangela texted her, in the awful group chat that never shut up, reminding her, Pearl, Kim, Shea, Sasha, and Violet about her party that evening celebrating their late valentines day, on a Friday, not the Wednesday which would’ve been much more appropriate. And because it was Shangela, that meant they had to do something no one else wanted or knew how to do. Ice Skating. Trixie had a slight advantage, she’d ice-skated when she was young, back in Milwaukee, every winter until she graduated high school. She didn’t have time now.

She sent a quick text to all of them saying she’d be there at eight thirty. Like Shangie wanted.

Trixie got on the train and she sat down, crossing her legs, and scrolling through the mess of replies from her friends, a light smile on her face.

They started moving, and Trixie swayed in her seat, the black outside the windows moving so fast they could’ve been still, save for the rumbling under her feet, and how the toe of her shoe tapped against the pole to her left without her moving it herself.

Trixie got into work, a little coffee shop that she’d liked to go to before she started working there. It was a tiny place, that was warm, with exposed brick walls and wooden tables. The coffee had always been good. When she arrived, she found that Adore was already behind the counter, glancing over at her with a smile, wearing a t-shirt with some band she didn’t know on it. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the other girl was wearing her fishnets and jean shorts, even if it was fifty degrees outside.

“Nice jacket, Trix.”

She’d apparently already gotten everything going, having been leaning against the counter on her phone when Trixie pushed the door open.

“Oh-“ she glanced down and smiled. “Thanks,” she paused as she walked behind the counter, her heels clicking quietly as putting her bag and jacket in the back room. “Wasn’t I supposed to be opening today?” She called over her shoulder, looking back quickly.

“Oh- I guess you were, I couldn’t sleep. I got here early.”

Trixie sent her a worried glance as she tied her apron around her waist. Adore already had hers on, loose around her hips.

“Everything okay? In general? With Bianca?"

Adore smiled when Trixie mentioned her girlfriend. She leaned against the counter, fiddling with the iPad until she got music to start playing.

“We’re good, I was up late writing.” Adore answered, and Trixie was the one smiling this time.

“The book?” She began to straighten the cookies in the little basket by the register, her lips pulled slightly upwards.

“It’s not even that long yet-“ 

Trixie rolled her eyes and grinned. “I’m sure it’s going great.”

Adore shook her head and Trixie scoffed, brushing past her to grab some napkins and squeezing her arm gently.

The day after that passed quickly. Naomi showed up a little later, and they spent the rest of their shifts complaining about bossy customers, cursing Adore as she leaned across the counter and winked at pretty college girls for a nice tip. 

Half past seven, Trixie was putting her jacket back on, ignoring the slight pain in her feet as she put her bag over her shoulder. Her and Naomi had closed, and Adore left at six thirty.

Trixie wished she could’ve opened, if only it meant she’d gotten to leave earlier. 

But she bid Naomi a farewell, smiling over her shoulder as the door to the shop closed behind her, and the pink neon open sign flickered off.

She needed to be at that goddamn ice skating rink in an hour. She didn’t have time to go home and grab different shoes. 

Trixie sighed softly and found her earbuds in the depth of her left pocket. She figured if her college degree in costume design had done her good, at had given her a profitable side hustle, or main hustle, depending on how she looked at it, and provided her with a closet that she loved. That’s how you got the collar of your shirt and the hem of your skirt to be embroidered with the same flower pattern.

Trixie scanned her card and walked onto the subway platform, humming under her breath so she wouldn’t disturb the people waiting around ger.

It was only a couple minutes until the next train came. She had to stand, but she leaned against the pole, and looked out the window again, glancing down at her phone to figure out exactly where she needed to be going. Apparently an indoor rink. She didn’t get the point of that, but shrugged it off. She needed to get on another train, then walk a couple blocks, then she’d be there. Maybe a little later than intended.

She texted the group chat, watching the stream of messages that never ceased continue to grow. Pearl and Violet seemed to be debating what to call the chat, changing the name back and forth from a variety of emojis (Pearl), to Best Bitches (Violet). But the battle ceased long enough for them to ask her to hurry and her ass down there. Trixie changed the chat to Cousin-Fucking Comrades.

They shut up after that. Pearl asked her if she was still working on that dress for her, Trixie said she’d burned it, but they all knew she had done nothing of the sort.

. . . 

A train and a walk later, Trixie was pushing open the door to the rink, greeted by colder air than that of outside, something she should’ve anticipated, but hadn’t, and found awful. She peered around the place, looking and listening for the large group of loud young women that were her dearest friends, even if they were cousin-fuckers.

Shangela gave it away, speaking emphatically to Pearl about something she couldn’t quite make out, though it seemed to be about putting her skates on correctly, as she was leaning down in front of the younger woman and tying her skates like Trixie had done with her younger cousins.

“Trixie!” Sasha was calling to her, a bright smile on her pale features, the beanie on her bald head making Trixie smile as she walked over to the group. 

“Trixie- I don’t know how you knew about Elizabeth-” Shea said, leaning across the bench with a glint in her eye.

“Elizabeth?” She was confused, even as Shangela handed her the skates and pushed her shoulder down so that she was seated between Pearl and Kim. The former was still having some issues with lacing her skate up tight enough. 

“My cousin- I mean, we were young, so I’m not sure if it’s still illegal-” Sasha promptly elbowed Shea in the ribs, making Violet cackle. 

The thin woman had Pearl’s skate up on her knee, and was tightening it for her, tying them easily.

Trixie took off her heels and took the socks Kim handed her with a grateful look.

“I knew you’d end up running late or something.” She teased, but Trixie knew there wasn’t any malice in her words.

A short twenty minutes later, they were getting out onto the ice.

Pearl was holding onto Violet’s arm tightly. And in her black jumpsuit, was coaxing her friend onto the ice. Despite Pearl’s fur coat, that Trixie knew was not real, she didn’t look very comfortable in the cold or on the rink.

Trixie stuck by Sasha and Shea, who were having a pretty easy time. Trixie thought Sasha looked like a dementor, with her draped black clothing, and Shea was that dementors neon alien, who wore a bright dress that had some sort of face on it. Sasha was currently complimenting it, and Shea was blushing, Trixie could tell from a few feet over. She’d always thought there was something going on between them.

Trixie was having an easy time skating, drifting between pairs of her friends as they moved in a steady circle around the rink. Pearl and Violet brought up the rear, and Trixie was having fun watching Pearl struggle. 

She was almost sure most of her friends were dating each other, save Shangie and Kim, who were very content in single life. Trixie wished she were dating someone.

Soft 70’s and 80’s music was playing from the speakers, and Trixie was having a nice time listening to Fleetwood Mac, something she found odd for ice skating, but enjoyed all the same, singing quietly. 

She moved a little quicker around the rink, content in listening to the conversation of her friends. She hadn’t been watching where she was going, focused instead on Kim and the dress she was explaining her plans for, when sixty pounds of nine year old came barrelling into her. She caught him somehow, holding onto his arms and helping him brush himself off.

“Are you alri-”

“Peter!”

Trixie glanced up, looking to see where the yelling had come from.

A striking woman in a red windbreaker was moving across the ice so easily Trixie felt slightly less proud of herself.

She stopped just a foot away from Trixie and the boy- Peter, who was lingering beside her, looking remarkably guilty.

“I’m so sorry-” The woman said, and she looked at her, bright blue eyes piercing from under her bangs. “He-” She glared momentarily at the boy. “Should not be on the ice right now- as class ended fifteen minutes ago.” She looked at the boy again. 

Peter was looking at the ground, and Trixie wasn’t sure what was going on. The woman in front of them both sighed loudly and repeated Peter’s name until he looked up at her. Her voice was quieter than it had been originally, her gaze softer as she looked at the boy.

“Go get your things from the lockers and meet your mother outside, she’s worried.”

Peter glanced back at Trixie and mumbled what was probably an apology, his brown hair the only thing she saw as Katya leaned down to his height in front of him, taking his hands in her own and presumably checking them quickly for cuts from the ice. Seeming to be satisfied, she let him skate off toward the exit, and Trixie was left standing beside the shorter woman, wondering if she should’ve still been standing there. 

“I’m sorry about that.” her accent was odd, Trixie couldn’t place it.

“Oh- it’s fine. I’m just glad he didn’t get hurt.” Trixie glanced over and smiled slightly. On her windbreaker, Trixie could make out ‘coach’ embroidered onto the fabric.

“That little idiot has cut himself open so many times- you know how kids are, they get depressed, pick up a razor blade-”

Trixie was aghast, staring over at the woman beside her.

“I’m kidding- oh my god.”

Trixie laughed after that, smiling at her.

“I’m Katya by the way.” The woman- Katya, was reaching a hand over, shaking hers. Their hands lingered together a second or two longer than they should’ve. Trixie pulled hers away and smiled, looking away for a second.

“I’m Trixie,”

“Nice to meet you, Trixie.” Katya looked amused. Her blunt bob, though having seemed quite severe at first, Trixie found that she probably needed hair like that to balance out an insanely perfect and infectious smile.

“Trixie-”

Trixie looked back over her shoulder at Kim, who was calling her from her place beside Shangie, waiting for her. She glared at Kim briefly and turned to Katya again after a moment of silent arguing. “I’ve got to get back, I’m here for a Valentine’s party…” 

Katya looked confused. “Wasn’t that wednesday?”

“That’s what I tried to tell them-”

Kim was still waiting outside the corner of her eye, and Trixie hurried things along with Katya, even though she did want to stay and talk, better than drifting aimlessly around a group of six people.

“It was lovely to meet you,”

Katya smiled and nodded, “You too, have a nice time.” 

Trixie skated over to where Kim and Shangela waited, glaring at her friend as they began skating again.

Trixie watched Katya glide back across the ice to the cones set up in the middle, picking them up easily and taking them off the ice. She didn’t come back out after that.

. . . 

An hour later, they were taking off their skates, and Trixie was walking back over, wearing her wedges again, to give back the rented skates.

She smiled when it was Katya behind the counter. She set them down and pulled out a twenty dollar bill.

“Fifteen dollars please-” Katya was leaning an elbow on the counter and taking Trixie’s money with a perfect smile. “Thank you ma’am.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

“Trixie-”

She glanced back, Katya was handing her a slip of paper, her smile genuine.

“See you around.”

Trixie took the slip of paper, finding Katya’s number scrawled in blue pen, her name in half cursive beside it with a ridiculous smiley face that made her grin.

“See you,” she winked at the shorter woman, before turning away to get her bag and jacket.

Minutes later, when they were all leaving, Trixie spared a glance in the direction of the counter, seeing Katya, leaning her chin on the heel of her hand. Katya smiled when she noticed her, and Trixie hurried off with her friends, hands in her pockets as they stepped out onto the street.

. . .

Much later that evening, after she’d gone out to dinner at some pizza place with everyone, Trixie was in bed, her hair up in a bun, face bare, opening her phone and typing the number in from the piece of paper. 

Trixie: Hey! It’s Trixie.

Katya: Hey, Trixie. It’s Katya. What’s up?

Trixie: Well, I got home a while ago, but I’m finally in bed. Skating is fun, we all had a nice time :)

Katya: Even though you got mauled by a 9 year old?

Trixie: I mean, I got a pretty girl’s number, so the mauling worked out for me.

Katya: I’m pretty now?

Trixie:I think you’ve probably always been pretty.

Katya: You’d be surprised

Trixie: I doubt it.  
Hey, do you want to grab some coffee some time, with me?

Katya: With you? Idk..  
Kidding, sorry. Absolutely, when. I’m free all week until ten and after nine. And during lunch, so like 12-1.

Trixie: Coffee at lunch could work!

Katya: Sounds good, send me a date and time and I’ll be there.

Trixie: Okey dokey, goodnight, Katya

Katya: Okey dokey. Goodnight, Trixie.

Trixie: Shut up, you don't get to make fun of me yet.

Katya: Okey dokey. :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sorry I’m late, we had a lesson run long.” Katya said, and she looked up at Trixie, who was then sitting down, nodding.
> 
> “Oh- you’re fine, I was only waiting for a couple minutes.”
> 
> “Have you gotten anything?” Katya gestured to the counter, and Trixie shook her head, beginning to stand. 
> 
> “Oh- don’t. I’ve got it. You can get it next time.”
> 
> Katya said this with such confidence. That she was sure there would be a next time. Trixie was almost sure too.
> 
> “Thanks,” she replied, smiling slightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you like this!   
> Thank you so much for reading!  
> ♡♡♡

“I’m going out for lunch-” Trixie called over her shoulder, glancing quickly at Adore, who was making a latte for a brunette woman leaning against the counter, tapping at her phone with her ridiculously long nails. 

Adore raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly. “Any particular reason?”

Naomi was then conveniently coming out of the stock closet, carrying some more almond milk, which she put in the fridge. “Trixie has a date?”

She was rolling her eyes, straightening her cardigan over the flowy pink top she wore, and putting her purse over her shoulder. “It’s not officially a date-”

“But it’s a date-” Both other girls said, and Trixie breathed out a sigh.

“Maybe- I guess, I don’t even know…” she replied, and glanced at her phone. “Shit- I’ve got to go, text me if there’s an emergency-”

Adore was grinning as she walked out, her sensibly bright pink heels a contrast against the warm wooden floor, yelling out as the door shut, the bell jingling quietly. “Have fun, baby!”

Trixie tried to smile confidently back at her, waving slightly. 

Setting off at a quick pace, Trixie was walking quickly through the leaves fallen from the trees above, the wind rustling through her hair gently, making her push the just longer than shoulder-length strands behind her ears. 

She descended down the stairs to the subway, checking her phone quickly to determine where she had to be. It seemed slightly dumb, that though she worked at a perfectly fine coffee shop, they were meeting at a completely different one. Though it was probably more convenient for both of them to meet in the middle than for Katya to take the train all the way to her.

Trixie texted quickly that she was on the way, standing by the doors as they started moving, arm wrapped around the pole beside her. She put her earbuds in as they started moving.

. . . 

Trixie had been sitting at a small table in the corner of the place they were supposed to meet in for about ten minutes when she glanced down at her phone, chewing on her lower lip for a moment before remembering her lipstick and tapping her fingers on the table as a way to channel her anxiety away from her lips. Perhaps Katya wasn’t coming. Had she gotten the time wrong? No, it had been lunch, she was sure. Trixie glanced around the room, at the large windows decorated with small plants hanging from the ceiling. She liked the place, even if she had maybe been stood up.

Katya burst through the door a few moments later, disturbing an otherwise quiet atmosphere. A couple people looked up from their laptops, raising judgemental eyebrows at the noise. She was smiling, looking at the other woman from where she sat, standing up as they made eye contact. Still wearing that red jacket, Trixie found that it looked very nice on her.

When Katya found her, her face lit up, and she was swiftly making her way to the back. Before Trixie could say anything, she was pulling her in for a quick hug, pressed against her for a quick moment before sitting down in the unoccupied chair. Without her skates, Katya was a couple inches shorter than her, wearing black ankle boots 

“Sorry I’m late, we had a lesson run long.” Katya said, and she looked up at Trixie, who was then sitting down, nodding.

“Oh- you’re fine, I was only waiting for a couple minutes.”

“Have you gotten anything?” Katya gestured to the counter, and Trixie shook her head, beginning to stand. 

“Oh- don’t. I’ve got it. You can get it next time.”

Katya said this with such confidence. That she was sure there would be a next time. Trixie was almost sure too.

“Thanks,” she replied, smiling slightly. 

“What do you want?” Katya was standing, looking quickly at the menu, written largely in chalk on the wall. She was taking off the windbreaker, setting it on the back of her chair. Without it, Trixie could see the slim slope of her shoulders under her sweater, and how her hair was curled today, less severe than when she’d seen her a week ago. 

“Oh- just a coffee.”  
“Cream and sugar?”

“Both, thank you.”

Katya nodded and winked, heading off to the counter to order. 

Trixie watched her, leaning forward slightly and speaking to the barista, reaching into her back pocket for her wallet. She could see the movement of her shoulder blades, how she was standing on her toes for a moment, her calves flexing. 

A minute or two later Katya was returning with two cups, grinning like an idiot as she set them down on the little table. Trixie thanked her and pulled her cup closer, leaning down to take a small sip.

Katya was still smiling when she put the cup down, and she raised an eyebrow in response, unable to help the same expression from growing on her lips. “What?”

“Nothing…” Katya paused. “I’m glad I asked you out.”

“I asked you out, Katya.”

“Same thing. I’m glad we’re here.”

Trixie agreed with her and drank some more coffee. “You can’t look at me while I drink-” Trixie complained, but her tone suggested anything but annoyance.

“I like people watching-”

“Then look at the other people. Don’t make direct eye contact with me while I’m drinking.”

Katya rolled her eyes and wrapped her hands around her mug, red nails tapping gently against the ceramic as she craned her neck, staring intently at the barista, who gave her an odd look and hurried to get back to work.

“Katya-” Trixie said, and she reached across the table to smack her arm gently.

“Someone told me to watch the other people-”

“They’re an idiot.”  
“Maybe so, but she’s blonde and pretty. It’s a fair trade.”

“You think?” She asked, and Trixie was the one smiling now, her cheeks just slightly flushed when Katya looked back over at her, a slight smirk dancing on her features.

“Oh, definitely.”

Katya’s intent gaze was now focused on her, and she now knew why the barista had seemed so uncomfortable. Wide, blue eyes, unblinking, a slightly raised eyebrow, a challenge.

“How’s your day been, the kids and everything?” Trixie asked, steering the topic of conversation away from how pretty Katya apparently found her.

The woman across from her sighed slightly. She looked tired, just around the eyes a little. “They’re good, nasty punks, but they mean well.”

“I’d assume so, they’re like ten. I don’t know many vicious ten year olds.”

“Baby, you’d be surprised.”

Trixie felt herself smile at the pet name. Katya didn’t seem to know she’d said it. She didn’t mind it at all.

“Would I?” she asked, teasing lightly.

Katya just looked at her for a moment, that stupid confident smile on her lips.

“So what else do you like to do, other than ice skating?”

The woman across from her lit up, leaning forward slightly. “I’m an artist- or, I make stuff and sell it.”

“So you’re an artist-”

“I don’t know. Probably.” Katya looked like she was thinking for a moment before shrugging and nodding.

“What do you do?” Trixie asked, curious as she leaned her chin on the heel of her hand, her free hand on her coffee cup, enjoying the warmth.

“Watercolor mostly, but I don’t have much time, with the kids and everything.”

“You sound like the depressed soccer mom with eighteen children, desperately seeking an outlet for her passion.”

“You’ve just described be in a nutshell, Trixie-” Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment, perhaps searching for the last name Trixie had forgotten to give her.

“Oh- Mattel.”

“Like Barbie?”

“Yeah, like Barbie.” Usually she found herself frowning and rolling her eyes when people asked, something that had been happening since the third grade, but instead, Trixie was smiling, nodding her head just slightly. 

“Mine’s Zamolodchikova.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. 

“It’s alright, I’ll give you a couple weeks before I make you say it.”

“Very courteous of you.”

Katya nodded, obviously joking, though looking proud of herself.

“Russian?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Katya nodded.

“So what got you into skating?” Trixie continued, curious how you ended up teaching children at the local rink with a talent in watercoloring.

Katya looked down for a quick moment, somewhat of a wry smile apparent on her features before it was gone within an instant. “I started when I was young- there’s not much else to do in Russia.”

Trixie found herself confused for a moment, before brushing the feeling off and continuing. “That’s all I did, back in Milwaukee, and cut up all my mom’s dresses.” She smiled.

“You rebelled the old fashioned way, with a trusty pair of scissors? Cutting up all your moms shit for a taste of life on the edge?”

Trixie let out a loud laugh, getting quite a few looks from the other patrons at the coffee shop. She ignored them and looked back at Katya. “Oh, no. I was very modern in terms of my rebellion. I’m a freelance costume designer now. So I was always screwing around with clothes when I was younger.” Trixie thought for a moment. “When other kids were out getting wasted at parties, I was getting wasted at home with my sewing machine.”

“You were the average teenage girl with your prom date, you and your brother sewing machine?”

“How about just my brother? It was Milwaukee.” Katya barked out a laugh. She sounded like she was dying for a moment. Trixie was only concerned for a moment.

“I didn’t know you swung both ways, Mattel.” She said, breathing heavily, smiling still.

“I don’t, but he did. I was the beard.”

“Makes perfect sense.”

Trixie laughed lightly and so did the woman across from her, disturbing just about everyone around them. She couldn’t bring herself to care too much. 

“My turn to ask questions.” Katya said, after she’d calmed down, now breathing like a normal human.

“Shoot.” Trixie said, and she brought her coffee cup to her lips, drinking quickly before setting it down on the table once more.

“When did you move here?” 

“To New York?” Katya nodded. “Before college.”

“Do you do anything other than costume design?”

Trixie smiled. “Yeah, I work at a coffee shop in Brooklyn.”

“So you’re a connoisseur of the arts?” Katya was smirking again, raising a teasing eyebrow as she sipped at her drink.

Trixie laughed loudly. “Absolutely not, I can’t drink black coffee, and I think Starbucks is decent. Everyone who works with me doesn’t know how I can make a latte.”

“Do you live by yourself?”

Trixie nodded. “You ask weird questions.”

“I know. But I want to get to know you.”

Katya looked like she was thinking for a moment, tapping her fingertips along the handle of her mug. “How would you rate your youth? One to thirteen?”

“One to thirteen?” Trixie had her eyebrow raised, giving Katya a look that said ‘are you fucking kidding me?”

The woman across from her nodded easily.

“Three or four. But I had a couple good friends. They made it survivable.” Trixie paused for a moment. “What about you?”

“Probably a ten, until I was about seventeen, then probably a three or four.”

Trixie’s eyebrows furrowed. “What happened?”

Katya was quiet for a moment. “Did you ever follow the Olympics? 2002? Salt Lake City?”

Trixie shook her head.

“I qualified, for the Olympics, and broke my ankle two weeks before, I was supposed to go and compete for Russia.”

Trixie was quiet for a moment. “I’m so sorry…” she replied softly.

Katya merely shook her head in response, smiling slightly. “It was a long time ago.”

“Did you ever skate after that?” Trixie asked carefully.

“Not as well as I did, but it doesn’t matter. I got into art school here- that was where the fun happened.” 

Katya seemed to want to change the subject, and Trixie didn’t blame her, the two of them falling easily back into bantering.

“You’re telling me you were a partier?” Trixie asked her, not convinced as she looked across the table.

“You’re looking at the premiere Russian whore of New York City- well, not currently, but you should’ve seen me back in college.”

“You’ve passed on the crown to some other deserving individual?”

Katya nodded, smiling at her.

“Were you a partier, Trixie?” She asked.

Trixie liked the way Katya said her name, rolling the ‘r’ in such an exaggerated fashion that it made her grin, and that Katya knew she was entertaining her. “Kind of, I got shitfaced a couple times, but I regret to say that I was reasonably well-behaved.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“What?” Trixie asked, slightly offended, though not genuinely.

“You don’t exactly strike me as the ‘crazy blackout drunk at the college party type’. She used her fingers to make quotations in the air, and Trixie raised one of her eyebrows. “Your friends went to an ice skating rink on a friday night.”

“Fair…” Trixie trailed off for a moment. “I get your point.” She paused. “I do, however, know how to have a good time by the way. My friends just happen to choose awful Galentine’s Day Date venues.”

“Not that bad though-” Katya gestured to herself with an obviously sleazy look on her face. “I mean, you got a piece of this hot mess.”

“I did. And you see where it’s getting me now?”

Katya scoffed and glared at her briefly, her eyes glinting with playfulness, their absence of malice evident.

Trixie smiled slightly and sipped her coffee quietly for a moment, leaning forward in her chair to watch Katya, who stared back at her easily, still unblinking.

“Do you have any special talents?” Katya asked her after they’d sat there, staring at eachother like idiots for a good minute or two.

Trixie thought before replying. “I’m vegetarian.”

“Not eating meat isn’t a special talent, though it is a talent.”

Trixie thought some more, deciding that Katya’s comment was fair.

“I play guitar, and sing a little.”

“Oh, that’s awesome. What kind of music? Hymns? Rap?”

Trixie looked at her for a moment, trying to read her. “Rap on guitar?”

“You never know baby, the world’s a mysterious place.”

“Agreed.” she paused. “But mostly country.”

“That’s why you look like Dolly Parton, right?”

“Oh my god, thank you.”

Trixie was beaming, Katya was too, looking proud of herself as she sat there across from her. She looked down at her phone, checking the time quickly.

“Oh-shit…” Trixie glanced back at Katya, a slight frown on her lips.

“What? Is everything okay?” Katya asked, looking worried.

“Yes, I’ve just got to go.”

Katya looked disappointed for a moment, but nodded. 

“We can grab dinner sometime soon, I mean, if you want to.”

The other woman nodded, standing up and putting that windbreaker back on. “I’d like that a lot.”

Katya crossed the space between them, leaning in and hugging Trixie. She’d have to get used to that, but she liked it. Before Katya could pull away, Trixie kissed her cheek quickly, smiling once there was space between the two of them.

“Text me, okay?” Katya asked, and Trixie nodded. 

“I’ll call you tonight, I want to know what your special talent is.”

Katya was grinning. “Okay, I’m sure the suspense is killing you.”

“It is, I can hardly stand to wait till later.” Katya laughed at that, and they both turned to leave the coffee shop, lingering outside for a moment. 

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, Trixie said, and Katya nodded. “Can’t wait.”

They both turned opposite ways. Trixie only looked back over her shoulder once, finding that Katya was doing the same, her wavy hair tossed up by the wind. She smiled and waved gently. She swore she saw Katya’s cheeks flush before she turned her head back around and kept walking toward the subway station.


End file.
